The State | IN BRIEF / SANTA MARIA

Latino Group Agrees to Dismiss Voting Lawsuit

After 11 years in the courts, lawyers for the Mexican American Legal Defense League agreed with the city this week to dismiss a case alleging that the at-large voting system penalizes Latinos.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Santa Maria did not need to create voting districts, in part because the makeup of the City Council and demographics of Santa Maria have changed since the lawsuit was filed.

When the organization filed suit, Latinos represented 45.7% of the population. By 2000, they were 59.7%.